Infograph: The developing digital divide

The Internet is unquestionably one of the
greatest innovations of all time. What’s really
impressive, though, is that its evolution has actually led to
economic growth in many of the world’s more advanced
countries: According to a McKinsey study, the Web is now
responsible for 21% of economic growth in these nations.

But it’s not all good news: As the
technology continues to evolve in America, the country’s
disadvantaged are fast being left behind. This, in turn, is leading
to a deepening of social divides in this nation’s class
structure.

A team at OnlineITDegree.net, a site
that acts as “an online informational resource for
individuals looking to pursue IT Degree-related education and
careers,” created the infograph below exploring this
matter.

There’s a ton of information in here,
most of which is pretty startling. For example, did you know that
100 million U.S. households currently lack broadband access? Nearly
10% of Americans have no broadband available at all.

Toward the latter half of the infograph
there’s a shift in focus from the country’s
domestic situation to where it ranks globally, with the OnlineItDegree.net team
exploring why the U.S. is ranked 12th in terms of Internet access and
14th for broadband
penetration.

Yup, you read that right: The U.S. is not ranked
in the top 10 in either
category.